I’ll tell you now, I watched a lot of TV and films in November. My main reason is that my home office is at the back of the house, where it’s freezing. The living room is at the front so I put on the TV for background noise. Let’s just crack on with what I watched in November 2023.
DCC:MTT SEASON 11+12
For some reason, MTV decided to only show 8 of the 13 episodes in season 12 so I’ll have to watch it online somewhere. Whilst I do like the older season, I just wish we saw more dancing and BTS stuff. And yes, I’ve tried to teach myself some of the routines. You never stop being a dancer!
SVU SEASON 24
Other than the opening crossover episode, I enjoyed this season. It wasn’t my favourite but I was thankful for fewer Organized Crime crossovers. Sorry, I just can’t get into it! However, I am sad at the amount of cast turnover lately. I’m liking the new addition of Valasco but I hope they don’t screw up his character. Mostly, I’m sad about Rollins leaving as it took me a while to like her and now I love her! If she’s on it less, that means Carisi will be on it less and you know he’s my favourite.
THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF SEASON 14
It took me a while to get into this series, probably because I’m very loyal to the BBC version and I love watching old episodes on the Food Network. After an episode or two, I really warmed to this bunch of bakers. Matty was a standout for me early on, although his bakes definitely weren’t perfect at the beginning! Saku is right up there with Val, Rahul and Norman as my favourite ever contestants now.
THE VAMPIRE DIARIES SEASONS 1-5
I’ve been rewatching from the beginning and somehow managed to get through five and a bit seasons in one month! I literally had nothing else to do on a night to be quite honest though. I’ve never got past the first few episodes of season five until now and it’s definitely not gripping me as much as the first season did. Everything still feels like it’s all about Elena, even though just about every other character is far more interesting than she is!
THE ERAS TOUR MOVIE
I know lots of people didn’t want to spoil the actual tour but I’ve got such a bad memory. It was a visual masterpiece but I do have some homework. It was a different cinema experience as I thought there would be more singing and dancing. However, other than the two girls near me, everyone else was quiet (or on their bloody phones). I need to learn my song lyrics from Reputation onwards! I’m such an old-school Swiftie so I’m hoping for those surprise songs in August.
Next up on my what I watched in November 2023 list is my extensive list of Christmas movies (mostly Hallmark ones). They make great background noise during the work day because most of them are so samey.
CHRISTMAS MOVIES
An Unforgettable Christmas/Christmas on My Mind ⭐⭐⭐
The further I got into this movie, the worse it got. I used to love Ashley Greene but she’s really not that great an actor in this one. I felt a bit sorry for her fiance as he seemed like a nice guy but ultimately, she went back to her ex. Shocker!
A Glenbrooke Christmas ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I found this plot quite endearing as the lead character wasn’t looking to give up her business, just looking for a break for a bit. The chemistry between Autumn Reeser and Antonio Cupo was very believable too.
#Xmas ⭐⭐⭐
This movie was so dull, with the lead character pretending to be someone she’s not just to win an online competition for her shop. I’ve no idea why she faked having a husband and a child instead of being a female business owner. It just felt like that wasn’t a good enough lifestyle so made me mad!
Mystic Christmas ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is the best Christmas movie from this year. It was so nice to see a storyline about something other than romance (although it’s one of the sub-plots). This one had everything: a good plot, good actors, great chemistry, a female friendship, family, a relationship, and seals!
Haul Out the Holly ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Lacey Chabert and Wes Brown need to make more Christmas movies together because they’re gold. The supporting cast were a little annoying at times but they do have their good moments. It’s very Christmassy if that makes sense so it’s not a subtle watch!
Joyeux Noel ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I loved the storyline of two journalists travelling to France to investigate a story of their own. Jaicy Elliot and Brant Daugherty have a really sweet, slow-burn chemistry and whilst the dialogue could’ve been better, it’s a lovely plot.
Christmas on Alpaca Farm ⭐⭐⭐
The lead characters had a nice chemistry but it wasn’t particularly strong. The best chemistry was with the lead male’s daughter. The entire plot was your typical ‘city girl moves to the sticks and falls in love’. Great for some but I need a little more of a story!
A Maple Valley Christmas ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I’d have given this five stars if the lead female wasn’t such an annoying character. She was so judgey, disrespectful and a bit of a bully to others. However, the chemistry between her (Peyton List) and Andrew Walker was pretty strong. They even kissed before the end and it was initiated by her, pretty groundbreaking for Hallmark!
A Very Merry Bridesmaid ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I need to say this: Emily Osment needs to be a more popular comedic actress. For me, it’s probably that the lead character is turning 30 and feels like her life has no purpose which made it seem realistic to me. Casey Deidrick plays her love interest and wow, he’s really handsome.
Santa’s Boots ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Again, it was lacking in plot and it’s only getting four stars because Megan Hilty does the best she can with what she’s got. I don’t know why she doesn’t do more screen work because she shines! Her relationship with her grandmother (June Squibb) is probably the highlight and she definitely gets the funniest lines!
My Southern Family Christmas ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The best thing about this movie was that the main plot wasn’t about romance. Sure, it has some romance in it but the main plot is about finding family. Again, the supporting cast is great, including Moira Kelly (Karen from One Tree Hill).
The Christmas Promise ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was a beautiful (and very sad) story and more of a slow-burn friendship into romance. Torrey Devito is fab and I particularly loved the relationship with her grandfather. It had all of the Christmassy scenes without feeling too overboard.
Hanukkah on Rye ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I knew this would become a favourite because Jeremy Jordan and Yael Grobglas are great actors. Together, they’re magic on screen and the other main highlight was the supporting cast. Their families are hilarious and there’s such a sweet story towards the end involving them too.
A Holiday Spectacular ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I knew this was about the Rockettes but I didn’t realise it was set in the 50s. It’s a beautiful story about a young, rich woman defying what her family expects her to do and following her own dreams. The chemistry between the two leads (both Broadway actors) is gorgeous and I loved all of the dancing!
Under the Christmas Tree ⭐⭐⭐
I was really excited to watch this one as it focuses on two lesbians but my god, they were both such annoying characters (and one of them had an awful fringe). The storyline of finding the perfect tree wasn’t particularly clear either so I got confused early on!
Sweet Mountain Christmas ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The real highlight was Megan Hilty and her getting to sing, which is taking it from a three to a four-star review. Other than that, it feels like nothing really happens in this movie! A country music star gets stuck in her hometown before a big concert to revamp her career. Very Nashville-inspired.
Never Been Chris’d ⭐⭐⭐
Had great potential to be a fun film as the female friendship was the star of the movie. However, the two female leads looked much younger than the one male lead and everyone got more annoying as the movie went on.
Twas the Night Before Christmas ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Another Torrey Devito film and it was another great Christmas movie. She’s a former actress-turned-director who wants to stage a play in the local theatre. The play itself was actually really interesting and the movie around it was light-hearted and fun.
A Royal Queens Christmas ⭐⭐⭐
I only watched this one for Julian Morris (Wren in PLL) because I hate when non-British actors do British accents (they’re always so bad). This movie was pretty average, from the plot to the acting and the chemistry. I think I’m over the ‘royalty pretending to be normal folk’ storyline.
And there completes the ‘what I watched in November 2023’ blog post with December looking even more entertainment-full! I’ll probably watch the HP films (despise the author and I own all of the DVDs so she never gets any more money from me) and even more Christmas movies. Ideally, I’d like to finish the Vampire Diaries fully too so I can start something new for the New Year.
If you enjoyed what I watched in November 2023, you can find more TV + film posts here. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and Instagram too!
